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The FTC enforces the Contact Len Rule, which gives you the right to get your contact lens prescription from your eye doctor – whether you ask for it or not – at no extra charge. This right also is known as the automatic prescription release requirement. It allows you to take your prescription wherever you want – online or to the mall – to shop around and look for the best deal. Periodically, the FTC likes to take a look at all its rules to make sure they are up-to-date, effective, and not overly burdensome.

Many people who don’t have bank accounts rely on prepaid debit cards, which you buy and add money to so you can make purchases and pay bills. But the FTC says thousands of NetSpend prepaid debit card holders had trouble getting access to cash they loaded onto the cards, or to direct deposits from their paychecks or government benefits.

Last month, the FTC hosted a workshop on ransomware, one of the most serious online threats facing people and businesses today — and the most profitable form of malware criminals use. How does ransomware work? Hackers hold your files “hostage”— often encrypting them — then demand payment, typically in bitcoins, for you to get them back.

Missed the workshop? Check out our videos featuring conversations with security researchers, technologists, law enforcers, and business leaders. Want some bite-sized takeaways? Here are some tips to protect your devices from ransomware, and what to do if you’re a victim.

The U.S. population is getting older and more diverse. Who are the consumers of the future? How will scammers try to trick them? On December 6, 2016, consumer groups, advocates, researchers, marketers, and government agencies will gather to explore the demographic changes expected in different communities, and discuss the impact of these changes in the marketplace.

The FTC offers free materials to help people understand money issues. So when teachers from across the country meet annually to improve their own financial literacy, and increase their ability to teach personal finance in school, we’re ready to help.

If you have a phone, you’ve probably heard from an IRS imposter — someone claiming you owe thousands of dollars and better pay up immediately, or else terrible things will happen. In the last nine months, more than 111,000 of you reported calls like that to the FTC, and dozens wrote blog comments about callers with South Asian accents posing as IRS agents.

Crowdfunding is the use of online platforms to fund a project or cause by raising money from a large number of people. As part of its FinTech series, the FTC will take a closer look at crowdfunding during a half-day forum on October 26.